The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-06
THE LONELY LITTLE GRAVE.
A Sad Story From the Plains of the
Wild, Unframed West.
Eron1 the Dnkota Bel

From the Dakota Bell
Did you ever come suddenly upon a grave off
on the prairie, far from any human Meditation?
Nothing can seem moro sad and lonely than
such grave, with tho summer wind bending
and waving the tall grass with low murmur
ing harmony, which yotl can Just hear if you
listen closely. like far-off music
remember finding such a grave-a little one
"A number OF years ago in n then almost I'M
settled portion of Dakota. II was ten miles to
the nearest house But there was board at
the head and foot-it was less than three feet
long-and an attempt at a fence around it, il
was not an old grave and there was little wild
rose bush growing on it. but the soil was so dry
! that 1t was not flourishing, and it had but one
little, withered bud, while on the surrounding
prairie the roses were all in bloom, making it
almost like a garden.
rode twenty miles before came to house
Here a man was working near little new
board shack" | got into conversation with
him and asked him if he knew about the little
grave.
About fifteen miles this side o. where the
town is started now, and near little moundsn
Yes"
Our little boy is buried there-the only child
we had. He died there when we were movin
into the country month ago, an buried him
there with my own hands, an nobody with me
'cept my wife-and the bosses. the HOSES looked
oman we come away an left him. I'm goin'
back after him soon an wen make him a little
grave here near our new home, where it won't
be 50 lonesome for the little Teller"
Was he sick long?"
'Lessn a week He was took sick one after
noon and the next day it hurt him to ride in the
wagon, an so we stopped there with him He
grew worse, an nothing my wife or me could do
seemed to help him any, so Itook one of the
bosses an rode fiftv miles to the nearest town
The doctor couldn't 20 out but he sent some
medicine, an | went back as fast as could.
My wife was all alone there on the prairie in the
covered wagon, an the little Teller kept CROWN
worse. He seemed 70 know he was goiu' 10 die
an all day he KEEP aSkin' when papa was
comm. Ny wife set an held his head in her
lap an KEEP tellin' him that papa would come
pretty soon. Sometimes he would drop into a
feverish sleep an then he would start up an
say: Mamma, amt papa tIm vets | want TO
see him. An she Soothed him the best she
could an tried TO hide her tears.
Il got there jest fore sunrise The sky was
all red an mighty fine lookin' an the wind was
STILL an the grass an little spring flowers all
wet with dew My wife heard me outside. an
heard her say that papa had come An
stepped up an crawled into the front of the
wagon, an he raised up his head little, an his
great big eyes were open awful wide, an he held
out his hands TO me an said: Use been watin'
for 90, papa, 90 was gone awful long" An
knelt by his side where his mother was holdin'
his head in her lap, an his eyes wandered an
looked out the front of the wagon at the booti-
full red sky, an once he stretched out his arms a
little an then the sun come up an he shut his
eyes an my wife took holt o my hand an we
both knowed he was gone, jes as the sun come
up
I'VE did the best we could, burying him there
in rough box Imade. cause didn't know how
fur we might go, an as l told you, I'm going
back pretty soon an bring him here. where it
wont be so lonesome for the poor little Teller"